Archive for the 'Identity Theft' Category
September 19th, 2008 -- Posted in Identity Theft |
A lot of identity theft occurs on the computer where thieves get access to your information online. Due to this you need to be particularly careful to protect your information when using a computer to access your online banking information and also when using credit cards to buy products online.
Many of the viruses that are created allow people to gain access to information on your computer so it is always wise to have up to date anti virus software installed on any computer than you are using.
When you are paying for products or services online make sure that you are only doing this with trusted companies who have the necessary security measures in place to reduce the chance of fraud. They should have encrypted payment facilities and a good privacy policy at the very least.
Email accounts can be accessed by outsiders so always ensure that there is no private financial information stored in your email accounts and never assume that an email that appears to be coming from your bank is a legitimate email as it is a popular scam to appear as a bank to get your personal information to access your 'real' bank accounts.
Never give your credit card details over the phone unless you are 100% sure that it is safe to do so with a trusted company.
You can always check with the Better Business Bureau to see whether companies are legitimate to deal with and your money and information will remain safe.
You should also check your credit card statements as you get them to see if there is any unusual activity as fraudsters are often able to get information and make charges without most people ever realizing.
If there is a problem contact your bank immediately and they will usually reverse the charges and issue you with another card that has different numbers and login information.
September 26th, 2008 -- Posted in Identity Theft |
Many people who have had a good record of debt and bill repayment are surprised to find that their credit score is lower than it should be.
This can occur when you have been a victim of identity theft or there has been an error on your credit report.
Identity theft is more widespread that many people assume and it can affect you without you ever knowing, until of course you make an application for credit and get declined.
Identity theft is where a criminal will assume your identity by stealing your information and getting access to your accounts.
They will use this information to drum up debt leaving your financial record in tatters.
Sometimes they will use your information more discretely by removing small amounts of money from your accounts over a period of time.
This can happen when they get access to your PIN numbers of credit cards or bank accounts.
They can also use your information to get new credit cards and use them up to the credit limit before attacking the next unsuspecting victim.
When this happens you are left with the debt and the poor credit score.
You should always check all your accounts on a regular basis and look for any suspicious activity. If you notice anything that you are unsure of contact your bank immediately and get them to investigate.
In addition to checking your accounts you should also check your credit report regularly to see whether there is anything on it that you believe shouldn't be there.
There will be information on your credit report of new accounts if they have been created in your name and you will be able to act on these immediately if you see them on your records.
If there is any suspicious activity you should report it to the police immediately and get a statement from them that you can then send to your bank or the lending institution that shows on your report. Notify the credit bureaus and get them to attach the police report to your records and make sure you close the accounts that have been attacked.
September 25th, 2008 -- Posted in Identity Theft |
It is important that you keep all your information safe to reduce the chances of being a victim of identity theft.
To do this you will need to practice safe banking, business and computer practices.
You should always keep all your PIN numbers and passwords safe and use numbers and passwords that are not easy to guess.
Never use birth dates, phone numbers or address numbers as your passwords or in your PIN numbers.
At any time you need to use your PIN number make sure that you have it covered from other people seeing it and never give anyone your PIN or your passwords for any of your financial information no matter how much you might trust them.
Never write down your PIN numbers or passwords as this will increase the chances of the information falling into the wrong hands.
When you do business of any kind only do it with people that you trust
Even when you get any form of information from the banks or for credit cards, make sure you thoroughly destroy the information either by burning or shredding it and if you put it out with the rubbish make sure that people who go through your rubbish can't piece together the information to steal your identity. And yes these thieves do go through people's rubbish to get the information they need, as this is often one of the easiest ways to get what they need.
Pre-approved credit can be a real problem as thieves can get the forms and fill them out to their requirements and steal your identity quite easily.
You can never be too cautious when protecting your identity and the time and effort it takes to be safe is certainly a lot less than the time it takes to clear up the problems that it can create later on down the line.
September 23rd, 2008 -- Posted in Identity Theft |
In certain circumstances you can ask for a freeze to be placed on your credit score when there has been an identity theft attack that will stop anyone else accessing the information apart from yourself and your current creditors who have already had access to the information.
This will stop any lenders having access to your account to set up new loans for the identity thieves and without the ability to steal money from you they move on to their next victim.
There is a dedicated identity theft hotline that is set up at the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and you should contact them immediately if you find you have been a victim of identity theft.
They will help you with information on how to protect your identity and how to improve your credit score.
The police should be notified as they might be able to catch the culprits from the information that you have on your file with the paper trail of their activities and the people the thieves contacted in their attempts to get money.
Make sure that you keep copies of any correspondence you have with the police and anyone less when trying to clear up these matters as this will help you to repair your credit score.
Contact all your current creditors and explain the situation to alert them to any problems and make sure that all your current financial arrangements are safe by changing access passwords and if necessary closing accounts.
Keep all your correspondence with your creditors on file for future reference if required.
Your creditors will need to know what has happened as they might see that your credit score has dropped and this will cause them concern for the money you owe them.
The sooner they are advised of the situation, the fewer problems you will have where they might reduce the amount of credit they had previously allowed you to have access to.
